Layering the Seasons

Spring is the season of all seasons. It’s that critical time of year when I have to think short- medium- and long term and work back to ensure I’m staging our garden well. My goal is always maximum diversity for as many weeks as possible. This means I want to time my beloved brassicas both very early and very late, for they are cold hardy. It means I want to try for spring and fall celery, which means not long after I transplant it out I’ll be sowing more indoors for fall.

It’s an ongoing mental conversation I have with myself, and my space, asking things like: where do I want my flowers to go? Where will the potatoes rotate to this year? What do I plant on my biggest tunnel down by the barn? Do I dare mix it up and not plant a massing of dry beans there, an annual tradition and visual anchor that I might feel untethered without? If I’m that brave, then where will the beans grow? And, oh, am I really committing to less tomatoes this year?

Each year I relish this learned skill of visualizing how the trellises and alternating patches of zinnia will become a cohesive space. It’s a practice of taking notes and predetermining what to grow less of in favor of new ideas. It’s a thoroughly challenging task both mentally and physically, the mental gymnastics happens most intuitively while performing said physical labor. That’s when the sparks fly.

Kneeling at my beds, I take it all in. The dynamic views. The enchanting angles. The most exhausting perennial weeds I’ll be digging up until my last breath on this precious planet. And it’s where it all makes sense. In the space. This sacred space we’ve cultivated. Each year I hope for the same views and yet each year I get different views. At first I miss the old views, but then as the season grows into its own personality I can better appreciate the moment we’re in. I get out of my desire for repetition, for reliving the past, and into my appreciation for the wonder that is growing right before my eyes. Who knows what this season will bring, but I’m showing up ready to break up with my expectations and embrace a new look achieved by exploring different priorities.

You might also like:

The Direct Seeded Garden Fall Garden Guide The Fall Garden Plan: Part 1